Leviticus 18:17

Posted on April 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 18:17 Turpitudinem uxoris tuæ et filiæ eius non revelabis. Filiam filii eius, et filiam filiæ illius non sumes, ut reveles ignominiam eius: quia caro illius sunt, et talis coitus incestus est.

The nakedness of your wife and of her daughter you shall not uncover. You shall not take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter to uncover her shame; for they are her flesh, and such intercourse is incest.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Turpitudinem nakedness ACC.SG.F
2 uxoris of-wife GEN.SG.F
3 tuæ your GEN.SG.F.PRON.POSS
4 et and CONJ
5 filiæ of-daughter GEN.SG.F
6 eius her GEN.SG.PRON.POSS
7 non not ADV
8 revelabis you-shall-uncover 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 Filiam daughter ACC.SG.F
10 filii of-son GEN.SG.M
11 eius her GEN.SG.PRON.POSS
12 et and CONJ
13 filiam daughter ACC.SG.F
14 filiæ of-daughter GEN.SG.F
15 illius of-that GEN.SG.DEM
16 non not ADV
17 sumes you-shall-take 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
18 ut so-that CONJ
19 reveles you-may-uncover 2SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
20 ignominiam shame ACC.SG.F
21 eius her GEN.SG.PRON.POSS
22 quia for CONJ
23 caro flesh NOM.SG.F
24 illius of-that GEN.SG.DEM
25 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
26 et and CONJ
27 talis such NOM.SG.M
28 coitus intercourse NOM.SG.M
29 incestus incest NOM.SG.M
30 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Primary Prohibition: non revelabis — legal future expressing absolute prohibition
Direct Object: turpitudinem uxoris tuæ et filiæ eius — forbidden exposure involving wife and her daughter
Secondary Prohibition: non sumes — legal future barring marriage or taking
Purpose Clause: ut reveles ignominiam eius — subjunctive expressing forbidden intent
Causal Clause: quia caro illius sunt — grounds the ban in shared flesh
Evaluative Predicate: talis coitus incestus est — legal classification of the act

Morphology

  1. Turpitudinem — Lemma: turpitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: nakedness; Notes: Legal euphemism for prohibited sexual exposure.
  2. uxoris — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular, third declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of wife; Notes: Establishes marital relation.
  3. tuæ — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies uxoris; Translation: your; Notes: Direct address.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Joins related prohibitions.
  5. filiæ — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular, first declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of daughter; Notes: Identifies the descendant.
  6. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies filiæ; Translation: her; Notes: Refers to the wife.
  7. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Marks prohibition.
  8. revelabis — Lemma: revelo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: main predicate; Translation: you shall uncover; Notes: Legal future with imperative force.
  9. Filiam — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular, first declension; Function: direct object of sumes; Translation: daughter; Notes: Introduces a second prohibition.
  10. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular, second declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of son; Notes: Paternal descent.
  11. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies filii; Translation: her; Notes: Refers back to the wife.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Adds a parallel case.
  13. filiam — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: second direct object of sumes; Translation: daughter; Notes: Maternal descendant.
  14. filiæ — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of daughter; Notes: Specifies lineage.
  15. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies filiæ; Translation: of that; Notes: Refers to the same woman.
  16. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Reiterates prohibition.
  17. sumes — Lemma: sumo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: main predicate; Translation: you shall take; Notes: Prohibits taking in marriage.
  18. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: purpose; Translation: so that; Notes: Introduces a forbidden purpose.
  19. reveles — Lemma: revelo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present subjunctive active; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: you may uncover; Notes: Subjunctive required after ut.
  20. ignominiam — Lemma: ignominia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular, first declension; Function: direct object; Translation: shame; Notes: Highlights dishonor.
  21. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies ignominiam; Translation: her; Notes: Refers to the woman concerned.
  22. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: causal connector; Translation: for; Notes: Introduces the rationale.
  23. caro — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular, third declension; Function: subject; Translation: flesh; Notes: Expresses close blood kinship.
  24. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of that; Notes: Refers to the same woman.
  25. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: are; Notes: Plural agreement with multiple relatives.
  26. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Links evaluation.
  27. talis — Lemma: talis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies coitus; Translation: such; Notes: Characterizes the act.
  28. coitus — Lemma: coitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular, fourth declension; Function: subject; Translation: intercourse; Notes: Legal/biological term.
  29. incestus — Lemma: incestus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: incestuous; Notes: Formal legal judgment.
  30. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: States the classification as fact.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
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